St. Augustine Catholic Church     314-385-1934

Our faith Journey

            Pastor’s Pen                 

A Word from Fr. Chris

 

Homily: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our faith Journey

Faith by definition is said to be “a supernatural gift of God that enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed.” God’s revelation is found on the pages of the Holy Bible and in the teaching power and authority of the Church called the Magisterium.

The biblical Abraham was an example of a man with great faith. He was called by God to leave his inheritance for a place he did not know. He obeyed. He and his wife had passed the age of bearing children but God promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and countless as the sands on the seashore. Abraham believed for he thought that the one who made the promise was trustworthy. God again told him to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to Him. Abraham was ready to do so. For all these, Abraham was nicknamed, “our father in faith”.

Exploring furthermore the contents of faith, the letter to the Hebrews, said “faith is a sure hope of the things yet to come (Hebrews 11:2).” Our faith tells us to believe in  the existence of God who is a Supreme Spirit. He has no beginning and no end. He is infinite in all perfections and grants them to us as a gift as He wills. He is One in nature and Three in Persons, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the only Person in the Trinity made man for our sake. He suffered, died, was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit is present in the Church guiding and encouraging us to practice all that the Church teaches. As we receive the Sacraments, they help us from falling into sin or imperfections and imbue us with grace to unite us with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is, therefore, faith combined with practice that enables us be good and fervent Christians who have sure hope to be welcomed into our God’s eternal kingdom at the end of time.

To reap the fruits of faith, as the gospel expressed, we must gird our loins and keep our lights burning to be ready always like servants waiting for their master’s return from a wedding feast.  We must be ready to open for him immediately when he returns and knocks. The gospel says “happy those servants whom he finds vigilant on his return. He would gird himself, recline at the table and proceed to wait on them.”

In conclusion, the Lord said we too must be prepared and ready always, for we do not know at the hour he will come.

Fr. Chris

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